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| - Preface: Louis Armstrong's "Kiss to Build a Dream On" began playing as I entered. I knew this place was good the moment I set foot inside!
Soup 'n Such is a gem of a cafe at Dundas and Roncy, located juuuuuust outside what is often listed as one of Toronto's finest shopping and foodie neighbourhoods. It is as though they stand as the vanguard of the 'hood as it inexorably advances beyond its boundaries to gentrify the outlaying area.
Owned and operated by a pair of hands-on ladies who seemingly handle every aspect of the business, the care invested in SnS really shows through. Hand-written chalkboard menus, an open and easily viewed kitchen area, service by the chef or her partner (who doubles as sous)... what's not to like about that kind of attention?
Thankfully, the food matches the homestyle appeal. From-scratch soups, fresh salads, daily specials that are actually... well, special! I'm tired of chef's specials being castaways and also-rans that couldn't make the regular menu. The day I dropped in, they had just sold out of their daily special -- squash soup -- and I heard a departing patron raving about how good it was. Damned if I missed out.
I "settled" for the quinoa chili, served with a very generous side of spinach salad AND potato salad (sweet!). Interestingly, the chili -- though very good -- played second fiddle to me in the taste department to their safe-but-excellent salads. Spinach with cranberries and walnuts and their house yogurt/dijon dressing was perfect in its simplicity, and the potato salad was the kind of "I didn't know I wanted this!" addition that made me really, really want more.
I fear that they're out-of-the-way enough that they may not attract enough foot traffic to justify operation. Conversely, my hope is that their obvious quality and love of their work will make up for a less-than-ideal spot, and the local lunch crowds will make haste to sample some awesome soups... especially as the weather turns to "holy hell it's cold!".
'Cuz every Canuck knows that a hot bowl of soup is just the thing to soothe a deep, Canadian chill! (That and some badass hot cocoa... hm... I wonder if they plan on serving hot cocoa... with marshmallows of course...)
Just some random notes:
* Great taste in music.
* Decent cup of coffee. Fair trade and organic.
* Website lists them closed on Saturday -- inside scoop says Saturday Brunch begins soon (maybe even October 15th, so call and see!)
* Two levels helps make the otherwise small space seem much bigger than it is
* Daily newspapers, including the weekly NOW. Reading material! Yes!
* Sammiches and soup/sammich specials, though I haven't sampled yet
* Eco-friendly packaging.
* They even hand-wash dishes! How retro cool is that???
... so?
Bottom line: Recommended. Yelpers, you can thank me later.
And, I'll give you just one thing before we part... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHjZQb-kGek&feature=related
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